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Section 8
Topic Started: Feb 5 2010, 04:54 AM (262 Views)
Silas Whitfield
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The manicured linoleum gave off a series of echoing clacks as Captain Joseph Morales walked down the empty corridor, polished combat boots leaving not a speck of dust. He turned a corner and proceeded to an unmarked door, one of many. Once inside, he locked it and sat down behind a pockmarked card table that functioned as his desk. Dusk light filtered into the room through the few slits of glass that over looked the courtyard, most of the window shielded to protect against explosions and mortar rounds. The Captain drummed his fingers on the desk impatiently. After a few terse moments the phone rang, and Morales picked it up expectantly.

"Hello?"

A gravely drawl sounded on the other end.

"Hello Captain. Sorry I can't meet you in person, things are pretty busy at the moment."

"No problem sir."

"Alright then, down to business. What is the status of A Company?"

"Morale is good sir, despite casualties. We've found some significant arms caches in the last few days and two days prior we neutralized an entire platoon of enemy combatants."

"And a hundred or so civilians by the sound of it."

"There were some byst-"

The Colonel cut across him sharply

"Captain Morales, I have been in this business for a long time, and I KNOW falsified battle reports when I see them."

"Sir I can assure you-"

"Don't you dare try to play me for a fool! Don't get your panties in a twist, I'll keep quiet about this, but don't EVER let it happen again. We get a raft of bad press as it is, and I get to deal with all of it. Don't make the pile of paper on my desk get any thicker than it is, understood?"

Joseph stumbled over his words a little, shocked by the ease with which his commander had seen through the cover up.

"Yessir, Absolutely sir."

"Good. Now. I see there is a Section 8 form here on my desk for a Specialist Silas Whitfield. What in gods name are you doing taking a perfectly good shooter out of your unit for?"

"Well sir, with respect, I don't think he's "perfectly good"."

"We all have our low points, this is war, what has this kid done to get a mental health discharge?"

"He had a breakdown, in the middle of a combat patrol, shot a civilian."

"He had a break down because he shot one civilian? Shit, most of the people we shoot ARE civilians Captain, do you mean to tell me that ninety percent of the US army needs a Section 8?"

"Sir there's more to it than that. You recall the artillery strike on that village south of Al-Kut?"

"Yes, tank, dead civilians, etcetera, what about it?"

"He called in the strike sir."

Morales could hear an audible intake of breath on the other end.

"Jeeezus... And he saw the bodies?"

"All of them sir."

"Great... What shape is he in?"

"He seems stable sir. Silent as a tomb maybe, but stable."

"Alright... Here's what I'm going to do. I am re-assigning an MP to your unit, he's a mental health specialist, he'll keep an eye on your wayward GI."

"Sir, with respect, wouldn't it be easier to just Section 8 him out of the unit?"

"No, no no, we can't keep replacing good riflemen, let alone marksmen like him. From all indications he's an outstanding soldier, just a little on edge. Plus you wouldn't believe what it costs to train another one of him these days. Seven effing figures. No, he's only got two months left on this deployment, and I doubt he'll be back after that."

"Yes sir."

"Anything else while I'm on the horn?"

"Yes sir, our unit is running out of some components, like fuses for the satellite phones, my engineers are telling me that they keep blowing out."

"I'll call the supply company, see if I can get some technicians sent out to your AO sometime in the next week."

"Thank you sir."

"Alright, talk to you in a few weeks."

"Roger that sir."

Morales laid the phone down exhaustedly. Talking with the Colonel was like playing mental chess with someone much more skilled than yourself, you came out feeling more than a little drained.
The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.
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